US Muslims Concerned That 'Few False Reports' of Hate Crimes Will 'Unfairly Discredit' Real Ones

After two reports of anti-Muslim hate crimes were determined to be fake by authorities this month, the Muslim community is concerned that these "few false reports" are going to "unfairly discredit and delegitimize the dozens of real anti-Muslim hate crimes and instances Islamophobia out there," according to the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).

"The way our community is treated in the media is unfortunately very monolithic," MPAC spokeswoman Rabiah Ahmed told ABC News today. "When one person acts out -- whether it's making a false report or some other type of bad behavior -- it's often looked upon as if the whole community is responsible for it, and it's saddening."

One recent false report was made in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where a woman fabricated a hate crime incident in November, city police announced on Wednesday.

 

The woman, whom police are not naming at this time, alleged at the time that a man approached her near the University of Michigan campus and threatened to set her on fire if she did not remove her hijab, according to a spokesman for the Ann Arbor Police Department.

After poring over multiple surveillance videos, and after interviewing multiple witnesses, investigators determined "the incident in question did not occur," the police department spokesman told ABC News today. He added that the results of the investigation have been forwarded to the county's prosecutor's office, which will determine whether the woman will face charges.

In a separate case in New York City, police arrested an 18-year-old woman named Yasmin Seweid on charges of filing a false report and obstructing governmental administration, according to ABC's New York station WABC.

The NYPD said last week that Seweid falsely claimed that three men taunted her aboard a subway train on Dec. 1, yelling "Donald Trump" and calling her a "terrorist." The NYPD added that Seweid also falsely claimed that the men tried to take off her hijab and told her to "Get that f------ thing off your head!"

Seweid may have made up the story to get attention because of family issues at home, according to the NYPD.

Seweid's attorney, Benjamin Jon West, could not immediately be reached for comment on the case, nor the Manhattan Criminal Court for additional information, including if Seweid has entered a plea to the charges.

Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told ABC News today that he believes the false reports are "statistically inevitable when you have such a large pool of reports."

"I think these cases are a function of the tremendous spike in the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes in recent weeks, particularly after the November election," Hooper said. "As with any type of reporting, a certain small percentage of them are going to turn out to be false."

Hooper added that he was concerned about how such reports are used against the Muslim-American community at large, which has been hurting and experiencing tremendous levels of fear, especially after the presidential election.

"These false reports unfortunately give ammunition to the industry of Islamophobes who promote the demonization and dehumanization of Islamic Muslims," he said. "But one or two false reports should not take away from the credibility of dozens of other real ones."

Hooper also told ABC News that the Muslim community "is under great psychological stress and tension right now, and that that in itself can cause mental health issues that lead to these types of incidents."

Ahmed echoed Hooper, saying that "we have youth going through a variety of issues" and "the community isn't immune to all the societal pressures out there that could lead someone to not tell the truth, exaggerate or report a false crime."

"We, as a community, need to do our best to try and make sure our people are supported and that we're verifying claims before they're shared," she said. "But at the same time, we really are facing an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment and hate crimes, and we need to shed a light on these issues and challenges."

Suspect turns himself in for beating two Muslim teens outside Brooklyn mosque; NYPD maintains attack not a hate crime

A 31-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for beating two Muslim teens outside a Brooklyn mosque, officials said.

Christopher Vallaro was hit with assault charges after he surrendered to cops for the 1 a.m. attack Sunday outside the Madine Muslim Community Center on Third Ave. near 53rd St. in Sunset Park. His arraignment was pending.

The two 16-year-old boys tried to talk to Vallaro’s girlfriend — attempting to open the woman’s door and poke their heads into her window — for a half hour before the suspect emerged and jumped them, calling one of the victims a “f---ing terrorist.”

“You Muslims are the cause of all the problems in the world!” the man screamed.

The attack wasn’t labeled a hate crime because it was sparked by the teens’ ogling the suspect’s girlfriend, not their religion, cops said.


Still, the chief prosecutor for hate crimes at the Brooklyn district attorney’s office was speaking to detectives, signaling a major reappraisal of the case, sources with knowledge of the alleged beating said.

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded that the attack be investigated as a bias crime because of the epithets.

An NYPD spokesman said the derogatory statements “were made in the heat of the moment and were not a motivating factor.”

Dedicated Muslim Youth Worker Counters Hate Speech

Muslim youth workers in Sydney are beating street-level radical preachers at their own game, severing their insidious influence on vulnerable teens.

In just 12 months the team, hired by Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets, has guided dozens of impressionable young men away from extremist corruption by taking to the streets themselves.

And the counteroffensive could have driven most Islamic hate preachers from hotbed suburbs, like Bankstown.

At the official opening of a new out outreach centre in Bankstown’s CBD on Friday, lead Muslim youth worker Amirah Amin said the predatory groups were “rarely” seen anymore.

“I think it’s a direct result of the work we’ve been doing,” she told The Express.

“We’ve been working really closely with police as well, identifying the hot spots (and) making sure those areas are more regularly patrolled.” Ms Amin, 28, and another local Muslim social worker were hand-picked by Father Riley to identify and help vulnerable, isolated or disadvantaged boys and girls in March 2015.

The specialist team now has four full-timers and a caseload of about 60 youth across Sydney.
Fr Riley, the founder and chief executive of YOTS, told The Express employing professional social workers from within the Islamic community was “very valuable”.

“It’s very important that we build a connection with Muslim young people in particular. I’ve always said they are everyone’s responsibility,” he said.

The idea grew from the success of similar programs in indigenous communities.

“The kids know these people already, so it’s not like we are bringing people from the outside, it’s using people from our own communities and that’s where we find it’s successful,” Fr Riley said.

In December, The Express revealed police and school authorities had worked for a year to deradicalise a 15-year-old Georges Hall boy, arrested during anti-terror raids.

Ms Amin said the teen, who was a talented junior sports star before being allegedly radicalised, was the type of person the team aimed to pull out of extremists’ clutches.

She said starting the conversation was often intimidating, but engaging a young person on their level was critical.

Premier Mike Baird opened the purpose-built outreach centre on Friday, which relocated from a smaller office in December.

Speaking exclusively to The Express, Mr Baird said Muslim youth workers were “incredibly important”.

“It’s quite clear (for) all our youth, whatever their backgrounds ... the more support we provide the better,” he said.

When asked whether there needed to be a stronger focus on grass root programs over policing Mr Baird said: “In terms of the whole program, it’s multifaceted. Of course you need policing, but obviously you need programs such as this (as well).”

Youth Off the Street supports all youth, aged 12-25, doing it tough.

To find out more visit youthoffthestreets.com.au